Ever since the spirited beginning, Baby Steven has embraced all of his Baby Gem friends, being named Garnet, Amethyst, Pearl, Lapis, Peridot, and Bismuth! But one of them was truly special to him. It was a beautiful little baby human girl named Connie, who was as sweet as her name suggested. She had an adorable little pink dress, and even a cute little pink bowtie on the top of her head, making her look SO DARN CUTE.
But one afternoon, Baby Steven and Baby Connie were happily having fun together in the living room while one of the most curious members of the group, being Toddler Garnet, was watching them. To make their time even sweeter, Baby Steven had his favorite little rattle with him as he smiled from ear to ear.
"Here's my little rattle, Connie!" Baby Steven smiled as he shook it while sitting across from her. "Just listen to that sound."
Baby Connie had, without a shadow of doubt, one of the CUTEST smiles you could ever dream of.
"Aww!" Baby Connie smiled. "Did your daddy give that to you?"
"Yeah!" Baby Steven replied happily.
However, Baby Connie had a funny idea. She thought Baby Steven was cute. SO cute in fact, she decided to wiggle her little fingers... and tickle his feet!
"Tickle, tickle, tickle!" Baby Connie giggled.
"Aww! Connie!" Baby Steven laughed. "That's my ticklish feet!"
Meanwhile, Greg, Baby Steven's loving father, was at the door talking to the mother and father of Baby Connie, respectively named Priyanka and Doug, when they had arrived to pick her up after their day of being a doctor and a cop.
"Thank you so much for looking after our little daughter while we were at work, Mr. Universe." Priyanka said in relief.
"No problem!" Greg smiled. "Steven's been loving having Connie around since I started babysitting her for you two!"
They all then looked to see that they were sharing a very sweet hug, which just delighted their hearts even more. But unfortunately, it was time for the Maheswarans to leave for the day.
"Well, we really appreciate your time, Mr. Universe." Doug smiled.
"Come on, Connie." Priyanka said as she walked over to her. "Time to go home."
But before Baby Connie left with her parents, she gave Baby Steven a little gift. It was a little toy flower, to show him how much she appreciated having him as a friend.
"Here." Baby Connie smiled. "A little something for you."
Baby Steven thought it was beautiful as he gave her a cute little kiss on the cheek, which just made her blush. Priyanka then carried her baby daughter over her shoulder as the Maheswarans left to go back home.
"Bye, Steven!" Baby Connie smiled as she waved. "See you soon!"
"Bye, Connie!" Baby Steven smiled back as he waved as well.
"Welp, I'd better get those dishes done for dinner tonight." Greg added as he got up off the couch. "I'll be overby the kitchen sink if you need me, schtu-ball."
"Okay, daddy." Baby Steven understood as his father walked away.
But as he walked off to the kitchen, Toddler Garnet slowly got up and walked over to Baby Steven with a proud smile on her face as she was now sitting right in front of him.
"Connie must mean a lot to you, does she?" Toddler Garnet said happily.
"She does!" Baby Steven heartily agreed. "She really does mean a lot to me, Garnet!"
"I'm really glad." Toddler Garnet smiled as she ruffled Baby Steven's fluffy hair.
But at that moment, Baby Steven remembered something.
"Oh! Garnet!" Baby Steven gasped. "Did I ever tell you about the time when she and I first met each other?"
"I'm afraid not." Toddler Garnet replied.
"Don't worry." Baby Steven understood. "I'll tell you that story."
And so, they decided to head over to the couch as Baby Steven began to tell the story about how they both first met.
"Long ago..." Baby Steven began. "...before I met you and the other Gems..."
(Memory Sequence)
I was about eleven months old, meaning that I was almost a part of the world for an entire year! Daddy was usually busy making music all day and I would be in my old playpen, just playing with my toys and keeping myself amused.
But on this day, daddy and I went to the beach together. Just him and me, out in the sun, playing in the water and feeling the sand touching my little feet! It was exciting for me, because this was the first time I went to the beach... and I was very happy!
And that's exactly how it was on that slightly-warm Summer day in Beach City, long before the Baby Gems came to Earth! Their very first time at the beach together as father and son was perfect! Greg was feeling the calm waves touching his bare feet in his sandals while Baby Steven curiously crawled around the white sand, exploring the sandy terrain around their home. It was something that he had never experienced before.
"Whoa." Baby Steven gasped in amazement. "This sand feels... very nice! And kinda tickly!"
But soon, his curiosity would take a greater peak as he soon found a mysterious colored object buried in the sand beneath, but part of it was visible for his little eyes to see. Understandably, he decided to get up on his feet and wobbled closer to it in his baby-sized sandals, so he could figure out what it was. All he could do, not knowing about what it could be, was to look at it from his point of view before picking it up in his tiny hands.
"Daddy!" Baby Steven hollered out as he ran up to him and showed the strange object. "What is this thing?"
"Oh!" Greg gasped in surprise. "That's a seashell you just found!"
"Sea... shell?" Baby Steven repeated curiously. "What is that?"
"It's a special rock that's found on beaches." Greg answered with a smile. "You just found your very first seashell!"
"Very first?" Baby Steven gasped softly as he looked at the shell. "Is there more?!"
"Of course!" Greg chuckled. "Why don't you go look for some while I get lunch ready?"
"Okay, daddy." Baby Steven understood, allowing his father to proceed as he went back to the sandy shore.
Understandably, the little boy grew even MORE curious about other kinds of seashells as he began his small journey to collect more of them for his dad to see. Sure enough, he found MANY kinds of them as he placed them in his plastic bucket! Some were big and small, broken or chipped, shiny or covered in wet sand, came in bright colors and even one he could listen through!
"Whoa!" Baby Steven gasped as he placed that shell up to his ear. "I can hear something in there! Daddy's gonna love this one!"
But, just when he thought it couldn't get any better, he would soon come across a pretty looking shell sticking out of the sand!
"Another one!" Baby Steven smiled happily as he began crawling up to it. "Wow! Daddy was right! There IS a lot of seashells here!"
As he placed his little hand onto his new possession, another tiny hand, about the same size as his, placed it onto the new shell as well. Very understandably, Baby Steven was wondering who found the shell alongside him. When he looked up, he saw... ANOTHER baby! But this time, it was a little indian-american girl! She had a very cute bathing-suit and was surprised to see him.
"I'm sorry!" Baby Steven said as he took his hand off the shell. "Do you want me to get this for you?"
"It's okay." the new baby girl understood. "You go ahead. You saw it first."
"Oh, thanks." Baby Steven approved as he took the shell... before pausing. "Wait... What's your name?"
"I'm Connie!" Baby Connie replied while pointing to herself with her thumb. "What's yours?"
"I'm Steven Quartz Universe." He adorably replied as he sat up on his bottom. "But you can call me Steven."
"Steven!" Baby Connie repeated as she gave a sweet smile. "That's a lovely name!"
"Aww!" Baby Steven blushed in awe. "Thank you!"
"Well, Steven." Baby Connie said to him. "Do... you want to play in the water with me?"
"Sure, Connie!" Baby Steven replied with a big adorable grin. "I would LOVE to play with you!"
"Really?!" Baby Connie gasped. "Wow! Nobody's actually wanted to play with me before!"
But this made Baby Steven feel very worried. "Wh... What do you mean?"
"Well... I'm not really good at making friends... or being around other babies." Baby Connie sadly explained while she made a small hole in the sand with her index finger. "I went to a Mommy and Me group a while back and didn't know how to act around the other kids there. I just sat there with my mom and didn't do anything."
"Oh..." Baby Steven sadly understood. "I'm... sorry to hear that, Connie."
"It's alright, Steven." Baby Connie added. "I'm actually glad that you came along. You're the first baby I'm not feeling so shy around."
"Aww." Baby Steven smiled. "Then let's get out there and start playing!"
And that's what they both did! They got up on their two feet and held each other's tiny hands as they shared a few little steps on the soft sand! As they walked together for the very first time, they looked at each other and shared cute smiles on their faces! They even helped each other collect more seashells that were all around the gorgeous beach!
"Look at this one!" Baby Connie gasped as she pointed to another shell that was nearby.
"Ooh!" Baby Steven exclaimed in amazement. "That's a very lovely shell, Connie! Great find!"
"Thanks!" Baby Connie smiled. "Which ones did you find, Steven?"
"I found a bunch of tiny shells!" Baby Steven explained. "These look like the macaroni and cheese shells daddy gave me!"
And upon showing her, Baby Connie giggled! It did, INDEED, look like macaroni and cheese shells!
"It actually does!" Baby Connie giggled.
After they finished filling their plastic buckets with sand-covered seashells, they continued to walk on the dry and messy wet sand, looking at the footprints they were leaving behind as they toddled on by. Then, they stood near the edge of the salt-water tide that was coming in, and whenever a wave was heading towards them, they bend their knees and leaped right over it and made a small splash when they landed. They both shared a cute laugh together from their playfulness, until...
"Steven!" a voice suddenly called out.
"Connie!" another voice added from a distance. "Sweetie!"
"Time for lunch!" they both hollered at the same time.
"Sounds like my daddy's calling for me." Baby Steven said to her.
"That sounded like my mommy too." Baby Connie agreed before she started to leave. "It was nice playing with you, Steven. Bye!"
"Yeah!" Baby Steven nodded. "Bye!"
A few minutes later, they went back to their respective parents, being Baby Steven's father and Baby Connie's mom and dad. Baby Steven was having a ham and cheese sandwich with some strawberry yogurt on the side, while Baby Connie had some pre-cut apple slices with her side dish being celery sticks and single-serving peanut butter for dipping.
While Baby Steven was munching on his sandwich... he started to think about his time with Baby Connie, who was really kind to him! Greg took notice of him spacing out and wondered what his son was thinking about.
"What's up, schtu-ball?" Greg asked him.
"Oh!" Baby Steven remembered, releasing the sandwich from his mouth and wiping off any mayonnaise and mustard on his lips. "Just thinking about Connie."
"Connie?" Greg repeated curiously. "Who's that?"
"Connie is this new friend I just met on the beach!" Baby Steven explained. "We found some sea shells together, walked in the sand, and jumped in the water!"
"Aww!" Greg smiled. "She sounds like a nice friend!"
"She was!" Baby Steven heartily agreed. "We even held each other's hands!"
"That's so sweet!" Greg approved. "I think she likes you already!"
"Me too!" Baby Steven nodded.
But guess what? Baby Connie was doing the SAME THING! SHE was talking about Baby Steven to HER parents! They were both VERY intrigued about him and were glad that their daughter made a brand new friend.
"And then, we jumped into the water, causing us to make a big splash!" Baby Connie explained as she waved her arms in the air and fell on her back, against the beach blanket.
"He does sound like a sweet little boy!" Priyanka approved.
"I hope we get a chance to meet him sometime!" Doug admitted with intrigue.
"Me too..." Baby Connie agreed before she began to sigh a little.
At the same time, Baby Steven sighed as well. There was just something about their friendship that they began to feel deep down inside their hearts..
"I wish you gotten a chance to meet her, dad..." Baby Steven sadly admitted while looking up at his father.
"Aww, don't worry, bud." Greg said while ruffling his curly hair. "Maybe one day, we'll see her again!"
But the main catch was that they... DIDN'T have to wait! That was because of a miracle! Baby Steven soon noticed that a certain family was sitting not that far away from where they were standing! The Maheswaran family wasn't so far away after all!
"Dad!" Baby Steven gasped with stars shining in his eyes. "There's Connie! She's over there!"
"Over there?" Greg asked.
"Mmm hmm!" Baby Steven nodded happily. "LOOK!"
And sure enough! They were, indeed, over there! So, after they ate their lunch, Baby Steven helped Greg walk over to Baby Connie's family! That way, they both could get a chance to know each other, both babies... AND parents! When Baby Steven and Baby Connie finally met each other again a few more minutes later, Baby Connie was surprised!
"Steven?!" Baby Connie gasped. "What are you doing here?!"
"Connie!" Baby Steven smiled. "I would like you to meet my daddy."
"How's it going, Connie?" Greg greeted her. "I'm Greg Universe! Steven's father."
"Nice to see you!" Baby Connie happily appreciated. "This is my mommy and daddy!"
"You must be Steven!" Priyanka smiled. "I'm Priyanka and this is my husband, Doug."
"Good to see you!" Doug approved. "It is a pleasure to see you both, Steven and Greg."
"Steven told me about your daughter and how well they got along with each other." Greg explained to them. "Mind if we talked for a few minutes?"
"That would be nice!" Doug approved. "Connie, why don't you and Steven play in the sand while the grown ups talk?"
And so, that's what happened! The parents had a discussion about not only their children, but also about their careers and their own lives. Luckily, Baby Steven and Connie found some delight in their time by spending even more time being playful at the beach!
Baby Steven and Baby Connie even decided to make some drawings in the sand with their tiny fingers, with them even sharing a little heart drawing together, which made them blush in awe.
"Aww!" Baby Steven smiled. "A little heart!"
"Yeah!" Baby Connie blushed.
As they were playing together, Greg, Doug and Priyanka were having a grown-up conversation with themselves about how their lives were.
"And then, for a while, I was a rockstar, making my name Mr. Universe." Greg explained to Baby Connie's parents. "And now, even my son is sharing the spirit of my music!"
"Interesting!" Priyanka approved. "I've started working at the Beach City Hospital ever since we moved here. Maybe your son can come by for his annual doctor's visits every once in a while."
"That can possibly work." Greg nodded.
"We were kinda looking into finding someone to watch over Connie while we're at work." Doug added.
"Well, if you want, I can look after Connie for you two!" Greg suggested. "I mean, she and Steven seem to be having fun together!"
Priyanka and Doug both began to think about it, mainly because Greg raised a VERY good point and if they agreed, their problem would be solved by having a good playmate for Baby Connie while they'd be at their jobs.
"Hmm..." Doug thought. "Well... we would have to see how it would work out. How about we set up a playdate for tomorrow? And if it goes well, we will let you become Connie's babysitter."
"Deal!" Greg approved as they both shook hands.
For the next few hours, Baby Steven and Baby Connie shared some fun and happy times to celebrate their very first day of being true buddies of Beach City. Even though they didn't have a single clue about what would happen next. But as the sun was setting, they both were beginning to get tired from a LOT of playing, understandably so. As a result... they both let out an exhausted yawn while rubbing their little eyes.
"Connie?" Baby Steven wondered. "Do you wanna... be friends?"
"Aww!" Baby Connie smiled joyfully. "Of course we can!"
And because of that heartwarming statement, they both looked at their very first sunset together, knowing that a magical friendship was finally in its spirited beginning.
(End of Memory Sequence)
"And that is how Connie and I became best friends!" Baby Steven smiled proudly.
"That was beautiful, Steven." Toddler Garnet approved with her smile.
"Aww!" Baby Steven blushed. "Thank you!"
"Now, what about that playdate?" Toddler Garnet wondered.
"Well..." Baby Steven began.
TO BE CONTINUED...